Congressional Elections

by Carroll, Giggles, & Ysushi

113th United States Congressional Elections

The 111th Congress of 2009-10 demonstrated a reign of terror by the liberals in the mindset of the conservatives. With a 58% majority in both the House of Representatives as well as the Senate, the Democrats were able to pass any legislation they desired, with emphasis on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise dubbed "Obamacare".

The 112th Congress of 2011-12 was a bit of a transition period from a leftist-dominated Congress to a more moderate, equally balanced legislative body. Of course, it cannot be ignored that the federal government was in, and still currently is in, one of its' most polarized time periods in the history of the country. In this manner, the country was a battleground between the "Red and Blue states", when in reality the peoples with for it to be a purple country; a country in which the political parties are not simply following their leadership and blindly entering legislative pacts, but one where partisanship is commonplace in the meetings, and the entirety of the constituents benefit instead of one particular group.

A breakdown of the Congress courtesy of BusinessWeek.com

The above aid shows a major breakdown in the politicians of the Congress, with reference to the 112th Congress of the United States in terms of changes. Democrats gained 9 seats in the House of Representatives and 2 in the Senate, bringing the total amount to 200 Representatives and 53 Senators respectively. The Republicans lost 8 seats in the House and 2 in the Senate, with the end result being 233 Representative and 45 Senators. The only independents elected were 2 to the Senate, which was one more than the previous election.

Women gained seats in both the House and Senate, but Veterans lost 12 seats in total, leading to the conclusion that military service is a commonality to a decreasing amount of current politicians. Finally, the openly gay members gained 3 seats, but unfortunately the mustache-bearing congressmen lost a seat in grand total.

The profession changes listed above indicate a very minor change of social status within the Congress. The biggest change was a 7 Representative decrease who were businesspeople, whereas an additional 4 entertainment and media-career block Representatives were added.

The United States Senate

The United States House of Representatives

Quiz:
1. What are the two houses of the United States legislative branch?
2. Which party has the majority in the House of Representatives?
3. Which party has the majority in the Senate?
4. How many independents are there in Congress?
5. Did the number of openly gay congressmen increase or decrease in the last election?

Vocabulary:

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: commonly called Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act, is a United States federal statute signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. Together with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, it represents the most significant government expansion and regulatory overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.

Polarized: the process by which the public opinion divides and goes to the extremes

Red and Blue states: refer to those states of the United States whose residents predominantly vote for the Republican Party (red) or Democratic Party (blue) presidential candidates.

Purple country: a country in which the political parties are not simply following their leadership and blindly entering legislative pacts, but one where partisanship is commonplace in the meetings, and the entirety of the constituents benefit instead of one particular group

Mustache-bearing congressmen: someone who has been elected to Congress who garnishes facial hair that is perched above the upper lip

Quiz Answers:
1. The Senate and the House of Representatives.
2. The Republican Party.
3. The Democratic Party.
4. Five.
5. Increase.
Works Cited: